Legends of the Resistance: The Next Xeno
by jashykins
Summary: Jash Connor hears a rumor about Skynet making another Xeno. Along with some fellow Resistance fighters, she goes to find out the truth.
1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note**: The series Legends of the Resistance is chronicling the adventures of the Terminator roleplaying group I'm in and currently the leader of. It takes place after Judgment Day, of course, but it doesn't follow TSCC or any of the Terminator movies to any great degree.

As it's been running for three years or more, all the plot differences would take up too much space here. As such, I will give a short 'Previously on Legends of the Resistance' to catch you up every time there's a new fic. It won't be in depth, but will tell you information you need to know to enjoy the fic. If you want to join the group, message me on ffnet (or my tumblr askjashconnor) and we'll see how everything turns out.

**Previously on Legends of the Resistance**: Martin "Marty" Bedell left Jash Connor in charge of the Los Angeles Resistance while he helps the Resistance over in Europe. He did so since Jash was the leader of the Resistance, after John Connor died, in her original timeline. Tyler Saldecki has found a strange Terminator that Jash has assigned him the task of finding out about it.

**Main Characters That Appear**:

Jash Connor- Is a Xeno Terminator Model. Former wife of John Connor and leader of the Resistance. Currently in charge of the Los Angeles branch of the Resistance. Has a son/daughter. Dating Martin "Marty" Bedell.

Sirrush: A dragon, first of The Dragon Division, and has two parts. A humanoid part called Elder and a miniature dragon part called Younger. They are connected psychically to each other.

Serina: Jash Connor's personal AI. Can be sarcastic at times.

Marcus: A Resistance Fighter who is always ready to fight and likes to face death on a daily basis.

Tyler Saldecki: A Resistance fighter that keeps to himself most of the time. Currently dating Kara.

ED-E: Tyler Saldecki's robot/AI

Ellen Reese: Sister of Derek and Kyle Reese. Can fight but is also a medic. Birdy is her nickname.

* * *

**Jash Connor's Point of View**

I felt nervous and why wouldn't I? It had been a long time since I had lead the Resistance and I felt rusty. Many of my fellow fighters knew me as the one odd Terminator that liked to joke. That seemed to always have a witty comment and would seem to appear out of nowhere. To be a leader you had to have the respect of your peers, and I didn't know if I had that.

I had Marty's confidence, at least. But I didn't know if that meant much as he was in love with me. And love blinded you to things that would otherwise be obvious. I had found that out the hard way. I had crashed and burned my way to that conclusion.

But I was also nervous because of the news I would have to tell. The rumor that I had heard and had no choice but to confirm it. It was too dangerous to be left alone if it were true.

"My comrades," I said, not showing my fears in my body or voice. All the nervousness I felt inside did not reflect outwardly. I had to show confidence to my troops. "You know I am a Xeno. A model created by Skynet to infiltrate and kill."

I heard a few fighters shuffle their feet as they took in this information. Being reminded that they were being lead by a Terminator, who many were used to seeing as the enemy, wasn't comforting. At least Marty had been human before. I had assumed, for a very long time, that I was human. I was proven wrong by Cameron. That Cameron I had killed shortly after finding out the truth of my creation. This timeline probably had its own Cameron.

I continued, "I am also able to pass as human as I have no metal remaining in my body. I have gotten reports of a Terminator running around that also doesn't have metal in his body. Meaning that it is possible Skynet is creating more Xenos. It is not confirmed whether these reports are rumors or facts, but we can't take any chances. I need a team to check it out for themselves."

I waited for anyone to reply. I knew that my own child, Sirrush, would come willingly. He had no real choice in the matter. He could decide not to come, but it always turned out his guilt made him follow my orders anyways.

Looking over the crowd I could see Resistance fighters debating amongst themselves. I guessed that many believed the rumor was just a rumor and didn't mean that Skynet had started producing a very unstable Terminator model. I also guessed that the fighters didn't fully trust me yet. I had risked my life for them many a time, but I still wasn't human. I could never be one of them.

And that didn't bother me. I was proud of what I was, even if I hated my creator.

A fighter finally stepped forward. His outward expression was nearly emotionless. It was almost like a Terminator's face. But there were signs of emotions that only a human could have hiding deep beneath the skin.

I turned my attention to him and only him. "Yes, Tyler Saldecki?" I asked.

"I volunteer." Tyler replied in a tone that knew no other answer. That didn't know how someone could deny giving this mission a chance.

That made me proud because the Resistance could still produce gems like this. Gems that would not back down for any reason.

Instead of announcing how much joy I felt, I merely nodded. It wouldn't be good to show too much excitement. I had to hold back my instinct to jump in joy that people were actually following me again.

"Thank you." I said and looked over the room. "Anyone else?"

As Tyler lit his cigar another fighter walked up beside him. This soldier showed in every feature that he considered himself to be above everyone else. Above any enemy that would dare attack him. He had been in many close encounters with death, but always walked away alive.

"I'm in." Marcus said. His voice laced with confidence.

A smirk came onto my face as I replied, "Of course you are."

"Well, you know me." He said and held up his rifle. I did know him. I knew how annoying his arrogance could be, but he always had my back. Our love hate relationship was one of the worst, or best depending on your point of view, that the world had yet seen.

"Don't forget me." Ellen Reese said as she walked up. While we didn't have the best of relationships, I always liked when she was at my side. She had helped restore most of my memory when an experiment had gone wrong. "You can count on me."

"I'm glad you're in, Ellen," I said as I tried to keep a large smile from coming onto my face. I didn't want to admit to her that she meant a lot to me. "I guessed you would volunteer but I wanted to make sure you wanted in. Don't want you angry and then getting Marty on my ass when he gets back."

When I realized no one else was going to volunteer, I dismissed every one. No need to waste valuable time.


	2. Chapter 2

**Author's Note**: To find out more about Sirrush go to my tumblr thedragondivision. Only putting that here since in the group I linked to his/her page.

I want to thank my fellow members of Los Angeles Resistance (Terminator Roleplaying Group) for being so patient with me. A big thanks goes out to Ellen Reese's writer for agreeing to a little upcoming subplot.

* * *

**Jash Connor's Point of View**

I stood by the helicopter as I waited for my team to arrive. The weather was like normal for a post-Judgment Day world. It wasn't pleasant, as if the weather itself didn't like this war with Skynet. I gave the weather a thumbs up for its good judgment. Sirrush didn't pay much attention to me.

I turned to them every minute or so to make sure that there wasn't a major hangup before the mission began. Sirrush was making final checkups to the helicopter.

Elder Sirrush was humanoid and could actually speak. His wings would only carry him for a little bit and then he'd have to stop after a short time. Younger Sirrush, on the other hand, could fly for a long time.

Younger seemed to be falling asleep on Elder's shoulder. She looked like a miniature Western Dragon. Sirrush was a Ditto and I was proud of my creation. I assumed they were talking with each other through telepathy, as they were really one being in two bodies. What humans could only imagine in a soul mate.

Elder turned to me and I just shrugged. All we could do right now was wait. There was no other option. No other option but for me to wait and let worry start to overtake me.

After I had found out that I had never been a human, I had never wavered in my decision to fight Skynet. I had felt no connection to other Terminators, even when they had been reprogrammed by the Resistance. I was a Terminator, created and born, and I was proud of what I was. A Xeno. However, I also considered myself more human than machine. Though I'd never admit that to Marty. No need to give him more ammo in that particular argument.

If Skynet were really making Xenos again, if they really were risking another one like me, then I'd might have to fight myself. In a sense. Nothing could scare me, or make me waver in my mission to stop Skynet, but fighting another Xeno would be hitting too close to home. It'd make it hard for me to think of the Xeno as the enemy and not a family member.

But I would do what the Resistance needed me to do. Nothing more and nothing less.

I turned my head to look at Sirrush as Younger made a purring like sound. Not exactly the same sound a cat makes, but very similar. I smiled as I realized Younger was doing what she could to support Elder. I had been a good mother who had made very good children.

When I thought I'd die of boredom, I saw Tyler Saldecki come to the chopper in full gear and smoking a cigar. Him and Marcus were the cigar men. The thought of them forming a cigar club made me smile inside.

I nodded at Tyler and said, "So you are the first to arrive."

As I was starting to feel both worry and relief because the mission was going to start, a voice from my wrist said, "Wow. You can count now."

I didn't allow any emotion to show, but I was a little pissed off at Serina. My AI had my brand of sarcasm. I both loved and hated her for being a little shit like me.

Tyler ignored Serina as I wished I could.

"I'm here first so I get a window seat." He said and laughed.

I was annoyed at this. Yes, a window seat was very important. Besides, it wasn't like having a window seat was a real possibility. There were no window seats on this chopper. It wasn't like it was for civilians.

In my anger I said, in a playful voice, "Every one gets a window seat!"

I pointed to Tyler and said, "You get a window seat!"

I then turned my finger to Elder, "You get a window seat!"

For the last part of my act I pointed to Younger, "You get a window seat!"

Elder huffed and replied, "I am piloting the chopper."

My jaw dropped and I tried to regain composure as quickly as possible. I was not going to lose to my own child! However, my face remained in shock longer than it should have.

"Thanks for ruining the joke." I said as I regained full composure over myself.

Elder's small smile made me want to hit him. But I couldn't since he was my child. He replied with a simple, "Sorry, Mother."

"Sorry, Tyler, Jash has been thinking about Oprah as of late." Serina said, trying to reassure Tyler that everything would be back to normal shortly.

"I won't even ask why." Tyler said and shook his head.

"That's the smartest thing anyone has said to me today." I replied and winked at him.

All assurances about normalcy were quickly proven to be false. This was because Marcus approached the chopper at that moment, he was drinking a bottle of whiskey.

"I'm half drunk!" He shouted in a drunk voice. After his shout faded into nothingness, he threw the bottle to the ground and entered the chopper.

"Great, we're going with a drunk." Elder said and by doing that he had spoken my feelings on the matter. Younger hissed and indicated that Elder had indeed been angry when he had made his previous statement.

"Half drunk!" Marcus said and I doubted that he was only half drunk. He then paused for a few seconds. "And shut up! I don't care if you're dragon, I'll drink 'til I die! It's a way to pass the time."

He then sat back in his seat in the chopper and asked, "What's the mission?"

For a moment I was dumbfound and in the next moment I was in shock. He had volunteered for this mission and now he couldn't remember what he was going to do? I hated Marcus beyond reason at times. This was one of those times.

I held back as much anger as I could and replied, "You remember the meeting I threw earlier? Yep, same mission as the one I announced then."

"My mind is shot right now, not from the whiskey but from boxing with the soldiers. One punched me in the head." Marcus replied and didn't rub his head to indicate it still hurt. His skull was probably too thick to be damaged to any great degree.

Elder was twitching and I could tell he had been holding back an angry retort. Finally he let it out, "I know you don't care. That's the problem."

Marcus turned his head to face Elder and replied, "We all have our faults, dragon, mine is not caring."

"Clearly, bro, if alcohol and explosions are involved, you will care." Tyler piped in. Was the fate of humanity in the hands of idiots like this? Humanity was surely doomed, then.

"Then try to remember. I'm sure I gave out notes after the meeting." I interjected, but no one listened. Fine, let them ignore me. I didn't mind. No, that's a lie: I did.

"Address me by either Elder or Sirrush. Those are my names." Elder said to Marcus, venom dripping off of every syllable.

"How about a please?" Marcus teased. "See, Tyler gets me. If there's beer, gunfire, and lots of things exploding: I'm there!"

He clapped and said, "I love me some C4 in the mornin'!"

Sometimes I hated Marcus and sometimes I had some admiration for him. I wouldn't let him lead me into battle anytime soon, but I would find him hilarious at times. Instead of showing the crazed fighter that I found him amusing, I rolled my eyes in the vain attempt to keep my feelings a secret.

Marcus took out some C4 with more theatrics than was necessary. I was passed my point of giving a shit or caring about what Marcus had, how he got it, or why it was here. I didn't care what he was doing or why, at least for the moment.

"Which should I use? Molotovs or C4?" Marcus asked with wonder. It was as though he had never considered the question before. I couldn't tell if he was joking or being serious.

I sighed and replied, "Always go for the C4."

"Thank you." He said as if I had meant to be helpful in my reply. Tyler lit another of his cigars. Marcus put the C4 back into his backpack.

"Now this." He said as he showed every one the ammo he had put into his backpack. "Anything else I should put in?"

Elder was still angry, but was managing to stay silent. Younger, however, was moving her head through the air. There was obviously some telepathy going on as he said, "Younger says that you can try putting yourself in."

"Put myself in my own backpack?" Marcus asked. "Perfect idea. Well, alert me when we get to wherever we need to go."

He then took some more whiskey out of his backpack. Half drunk my ass! If he was only half drunk now, he'd sure as hell be full on drunk shortly.

Marcus smiled and turned to Tyler and asked, "Planning on sharing the smokes? I'll share the whiskey."

I found my calm, which was hard to do, and said, "And we wait for Ellen."

I shook my head as I imagined her. What we had gone through and the little fights we had had. "Seems like she hates me at times, but she did volunteer. Sadly, we can only wait for so long."

I heard ED-E, Tyler's little robot, fly up and beep. I turned to look at the strange little robot and saw Marcus briefly look at it and then focus on his drink.

When ED-E entered the chopper, he deactivated and Tyler plugged in the little robot's charging cable. Tyler did the action like the robot was his child and he was a caring father. I cared for Serina, but she was more of a companion than a child to me.

"Every one has super AIs now and I've still got my faithful whiskey." Marcus said and laughed. Great, now Marcus was going into his whiny 'I don't feel special' moods. This mission was going to be so much fun. "I feel so young."

"Hey, I just found this guy in an underground lab." Tyler said, trying to defend himself.

"Lucky you." Marcus replied, his voice heavy in sarcasm.

"Compared to me, you two are barely one year old." I said, trying to loosen every one up.

"Thanks for the comment," He said. "I think I forgot my age. I have only been fighting for my life for around an hour. Anyways, who here has been shot in the ass? Me, I got shot in the arm, leg, and impaled on a pole. You know, the usual stuff."

I thought about Marcus' question. As long as the conversation was going towards insanity, I better go for the gold. "Do you mean sexually or non-sexually? 'Cause I've been shot both ways."

"Alright...non-sexually then." Marcus said, appearing somewhat disturbed. The Xeno wins again!

"Answer is still yes." I replied. Elder was able to keep a facade of being calm, but Younger let out a vicious facepalm. The Xeno had indeed won this round.

After that things were quiet as we waited on the final member of our group. The member who I found fascinating and yet we never seemed to get along too well. Finally she arrived. Ellen Reese arrived calm and collected. More than I could say about the two men that had come before her.

I watched as she got in, then Sirrush went to the pilot seat and I went to the co-pilot seat. I felt that Elder needed practice and I wanted the freedom to attack when I needed to.

I put on my headset to broadcast to the three humans and my child. I made sure it was on correctly and then said, "Every one who is ready, we're going to blow some shit up and hopefully not die."

I heard Tyler say, "I got my window seat."

I knew he was staring at a wall. Not a window. Well, let my little Resistance fighter believe what he wants. I smiled and said, "Yes you did. You ready?"

I heard Tyler reply, "ED-E and I are."

The other two Resistance fighters also confirmed that they were ready. I couldn't stall any longer. I had to go now and face either myself or a rumor. Either way, the time to go was now.

"Sirrush, you have my permission to take off." I said and Elder nodded.

As he took off I got nervous. Not because I was afraid the rumor was true or I had a fear of flying. No, the problem was my child was piloting. I should be in the pilot seat. Who knew what would happen if he lost control?

I breathed in and out for a few minutes before I calmed myself down. Elder was a good pilot, he had piloted choppers and a few other types of vehicles in the past. There was no need to be worried. No need. No need at all.

I stayed alert, though I wanted to dose off badly, and was alerted to a threat by Younger. She was making a noise that wasn't comforting, but showed fear instead.

"We might have company soon." I said and now my body was on full alert. I wasn't worried, I couldn't be. In the midst of action the worst thing was to let fear get the better of you.

I looked over to Elder and saw him tense up. He was preparing himself not to fight, but to try to stay away from the enemy fire. This helicopter didn't have anything we could use to shoot at HKs. Well, nothing except the guns that the fighters inside had.

With that thought I heard someone, possibly Tyler, ready his gun. A M-20 if my memory served me correctly.

"You read to help, Serina?" I asked my AI.

"Yes." She answered.

I heard the HK arriving. It would reach us quickly.

"Good luck." I said as all worry and doubt left my body. There was no need for those things. After this little fight there would be time to think, but the time to think was not now. As this calming process was going on I heard ED-E doing something. Probably had to do with preparing Tyler to fight.

I smirked for no reason. I didn't need a reason. Reason was for another time. For another place.

The HK started to fire at us and Elder was able to evade the attacks. I judged when we were in a good position and yelled out, "Shoot!"

Someone began to fire and said, "Did you guys miss me?"

Ellen could joke when she wanted to. She was usually so quiet that I forgot about her.

"Not that much." I said and let another smirk onto my face.

"Jash is understating her excitement at hearing your voice again." Serina said and I wished I could hit the AI without hurting myself.

The chopper rattled as the HK managed to hit us. From long years of practice, the rattling did not startle me or make me lose my grip. Glancing at Elder I could tell he was growing nervous. This life was still somewhat new to him. He was so focused he didn't notice Younger grip him tightly. Whether she did so out of fear or just to not fall off, I didn't know.

"Yeah, I notice," Ellen replied and I could hear a smile in her voice. "Her expressions and exuberance amazes me all the time."

I laughed loudly and looked at the HK. While continuing to talk to Ellen would be great, there was still the little matter of staying alive to deal with.

"Ellen and Tyler, continue to fire as I try out Plan B. El-" I started and was suddenly cut off by Elder.

"Mother, I have already figured out your lunatic scheme." He said. His facial expressions were different than a human or Terminator's. But I could tell what his meant now. He was worried that he would lose his mother today. And not in a glorious battle, but in a small skirmish. "Will try to get in a good position."

I realized the loyal soldier that I had raised. He was worried, didn't like what he had to do, but was willing to do it anyways.

"When I jump onto the HK I'll distract it. You'll have a better chance at shooting the HK then." I said so that the others would understand the plan. Elder, and therefore Younger, had already figured it out. "Elder can swoop in and get me once you two have shot the HK down."

It was an insane plan and was fulled mostly because I wanted to do something cool. There were many other options on what to do, but I saw my chance at amusing myself and decided to take it. There was no Marty to stop me in this place and time. No John to tell me to...but I must not think about John. He was in the past now and thinking of his murder wouldn't help me now or ever.

"By the way," Ellen said, and with her voice I woke up from my thoughts. "I forgot to congratulate you on your children. I would say that they are cute and look like their mother, but surely they would have been offended by me. No offense, guys! Yep, Martin would be proud."

I finally heard Marcus make some noise as I smiled. He was probably getting his grenade launcher ready. I would complain about him using theatrics most of the time, but I was the one that was going to jump onto an HK. However, I didn't let logic get in the way of thinking of how much he liked to show off.

"Younger thanks you for calling her cute." Elder said as he shook his head.

* * *

**Elder Sirrush's Point of View**

I had no choice over what I was. I had been made, just like my creator. I called her Mother but she did not give birth to me. She couldn't. She had also been created, but her creator had had more evil intentions than mine. My Mother had been created by Skynet to help it win the war. But she didn't let that destiny affect her.

It made me proud.

But as I turned to look over at her I thought that she was too impulsive at times. Jumping onto an HK? Mother was a great asset to the Resistance and she shouldn't risk her life for some kind of stunt. But it wasn't my place to tell her so. Even if it was, she wouldn't listen to me.

Mother unbuckled herself and prepared to jump. Her Xeno body, that looked exactly like a human's, tensed up as she waited for the perfect time to get onto the HK.

"Marcus," She said. "Don't mess up."

I watched as Mother jumped onto the HK and then my breath left me as she nearly fell off. Realizing I needed to concentrate on both not getting shot and giving my crew good aim, I took my eyes off her. I took it on faith that Mother would survive. That I would just swoop in and get her back on board.

As I navigated the chopper to a good position, I heard a gun fire. From what I could remember, it sounded like Tyler's gun. Not that the gun was unique in anyway, but I could tell what his fingers sounded like pulling the trigger.

I was surprised when the HK's return fire didn't hit. I wasn't a great pilot, by any means, and the HK had always known how to fly. Had always been what the metal equivalent of confident would be. Looking at the HK I saw that Mother had taken out her two katanas, which she preferred over any other weapon, out and was using them to keep her on the machine.

There was no flinching in her motions, she was as confident as the machine she was riding.

I continued to dodge the now erratic fire of the HK and heard a laser being fired. As I was keeping focus on where the HK was at all times, I noticed the machine dodge the shot. But just barely. Mother was taking up a lot of its concentration.

But Mother wasn't taking up all of its concentration. A fact that I was reminded of as I wasn't able to dodge the latest of the HK's shot. The chopper shook and I put all my attention in keeping it in the air. I wasn't going to fail Mother. I wasn't going to fail the Resistance.

I didn't think that I was in a good position for any of my crew to aim, but I heard a mini-missile being fired. The HK started to go down when it got hit, but it kept itself in the air. It was built by Skynet, it wouldn't stop on its mission until it was Terminated.

Which it was by Tyler barely a second later. And now the HK was falling with Mother on it. I controlled my panic the best I could. If I allowed my panic to affect me now I could lose Mother. Well, she'd probably recover at the crash site which would be worse. When she wanted to rant she would rant. And I wouldn't be able to tell her to shut up.

"Tyler," I said to the man who had done the most shooting. "Will you be able to grab Jash when I go in for her?"

"I'll try." He answered as I heard him sling his weapon over his shoulder.

I nodded and replied, "Going in."

* * *

**Jash Connor's Point of View**

The smoke coming out of the HK was annoying to say the least. I was glad it would cause no more problems for us and that the Resistance would go on. But that damn smoke was getting to me as it made it harder to see.

But, no matter, I could see well enough. I could see the chopper coming towards me and prepared myself. A half second later and I was prepared to jump back into the chopper. Looking at who was going to catch me I saw Tyler.

At least it wasn't the showoff's arms I would have to go into.

I jumped towards Tyler's arms and was momentarily afraid. What if he didn't catch me and I fell? I did not need that detour. Luckily, though, I went straight into his arms and he didn't let me go.

"Haven't been happier to been in your arms before." I said and did my signature smirk.

Focusing on more important matters, I got back into the chopper and put on a headset. My previous one had fallen off during my stunt with the HK. The danger was over now and we could focus on finding out the truth of the rumor. I watched with disinterest as Tyler got back into his seat. All I cared about was that my team be in one piece.

Tyler's radio came on and I focused all my attention on him. Was it going to bring bad news and, if so, why wasn't I contacted first?

"Liberty Prime is ready for deployment." He replied after he talked with whoever was on the other side of his radio.

"What's Liberty Prime? That your new toy?" I asked. For some reason I had started to recall a Terminator that Tyler had been responsible for investigating. Could this possibly be the same Terminator?

"Yeah, it is," He replied with pride. "I named him that due to the fact that he has pictures of Liberty Statue on both of his feet. Plus the fact that he said that was his name when I ran a voice test."

It was good seeing him happy with his work. It was also good seeing him complete the task I had asked him to. But, for some reason, his happiness irked me. I was a Xeno, but I did not fully understand myself. I was human-like in that respect.

"We'll test him if we need backup." I finally said, finding a comprise to my emotions. "If we don't need backup we'll test him when we get back to base."

"A live fire situation is the perfect time to see if he works." Tyler said and I was unsure if he was being serious or failing at a joke.

I smiled anyways and said, "Fun times."

I watched as the ground flew below us. Always changing, but staying the same. After my first Judgment Day, as in my original timeline I was created after J-Day, things had begun to look the same. It wasn't because depression had really set in, depression had always been there for me once I had found out I wasn't human, but because after an apocalypse destruction appears the same. It makes everything appear alike.

The chopper shook and it felt wrong.

"That's normal, right?" Tyler asked.

I shook my head and Serina replied, "My sensors indicate we should land to make repairs."

Knowing I wouldn't like the answer, I asked, "How long should repairs take?"

My AI said, "Two hours."

"Shit!"

"Two hours?" Tyler asked. "Oh jeez."

"Elder, land as soon as you can." I ordered. I didn't like delaying this mission. I wanted a simple go to, find out, and come back. But my life could never be that easy. "Let's just hope there's nothing waiting for us."

"There surely will be something waiting for us." Tyler stated.

"Don't get my hopes up." I teased.

After a few minutes Elder landed the chopper inside a cave. A big thing had happened to me inside a cave, at least in my original timeline. That thing was Lillith. Not the crazed version that my current comrades had met, but a very strong woman.

Once the chopper landed we all got out. Except for Marcus. After the fight with the HK he must have fell asleep. I would kill him if I found out he had fallen asleep during the fight. Well, I'd punish him in some way since Marty would be pissed if one of his soldiers turned up dead.

I looked around and realized this wasn't the cave where me and my original Lillith had bonded. Why would I be so sentimental as to think of her now?

"I think a friend of mine left a cache here." Tyler said and I turned to him. His gaze wasn't on me, he was making sure his assumption was correct.

"Find it." I said. "We want to be ready if anything comes after us."

I heard a flutter of wings and then Younger was on Tyler's shoulder. She curled around his shoulders and looked content. She looked content enough just to exist.

"She'll alert us if anything happens to you." Elder said. I found it good for him to trust part of himself to a fellow Resistance fighter.

* * *

**Younger Sirrush's Point of View**

His body felt different than my Other's body. My Other's skin always seemed cold and harsh. I liked it, but Tyler's body felt warm. Full of life. I could hear and feel the blood pumping through his veins. It was very calming to me.

"Alright, trust me with the kid." Tyler said to Mother. It seemed as if I were just a burden to him.

He turned on his flashlight and went into the cave. The light, to me, was distracting. I could see very well in the dark. I had to remind myself that he was human and didn't have a Ditto's eyesight.

"If you bring her back dead you'll find yourself following her!" Mother yelled after us. It seemed Mother didn't trust anyone. Maybe one day I'd understand why, but right now I couldn't imagine what would give her such paranoia.

I decided to reassure Tyler that I was on his side. That I trusted him. That I wouldn't abandon him. I rubbed my head against his face. Most people I did this to found it calming, I thought it would work with Tyler.

It did.

"You know, for a dragon, you're kinda cute." Tyler said after I had completed the action.

A large smile enveloped my face and I started nodding wildly. I liked making people happy. As long as I made someone happy, my life was complete.

Tyler began petting my head but he stopped when he saw a crate. I wished he would continue petting me as it felt so good. I knew my Other would say sex felt better, but I was content with being petted in a non-sexual manner.

As Tyler was done paying attention to me, I flew to the crate and then around it. I wanted to say that I knew it was important and I was glad he had found it. But my Other wasn't here to translate for me and I couldn't communicate to the human.

After a few seconds I found a small ledge and landed there. I watched as Tyler opened the crate and found some weapons. So the human had been correct in his previous statement to Mother. There was a weapon's cache.

Tyler took out a mini-gun and said, "Heh, that bastard managed to find one."

He then put it back in the crate and looked for a cart. Luckily he didn't search long until he found one. Upon finding the cart he put the crate on it. There, of course, were more crates and he loaded as much as he could on the cart he had found.

"Let's roll, Younger." Tyler said and I decided to fly beside him this time.

It was good to spread my wings from time to time. And during the earlier attack I had been unable to fly, and instead had been gripping on my Other. Of course he didn't notice as he had thick skin. Literally.

It was a very uneventful trip back to the chopper. Was good for it to be uneventful, though.

* * *

**Jash Connor's Point of View**

Waiting for Younger and Tyler to arrive back was tiring. Being away from base always made me more tense. Was good to get away from Lauren's prying eyes, but Skynet had an advantage when anyone was away from base. Though I had turned off Lauren temporarily, wouldn't deactivate her for good but wouldn't allow her to have as much control as she had previously, I still felt like Marty's AI was always watching.

I kept on glancing at Elder to see if Younger was in any danger. Finally they returned and I was relieved. Younger was flying beside Tyler on their return trip.

I stood up and abandoned my comfy ground chair as Younger returned to her perch on Elder's shoulder.

"You find what you were looking for?" I asked. It was a redundant question as I could see the weapon crates behind him.

"Yep." Tyler replied and put the crates beside the chopper.

"Elder, get moving on fixing things up. I think I might take a nap." I ordered as he had stopped repairing the chopper when Younger had returned. "Tyler, you can take first watch."

"Alright." Tyler said and headed to the entrance while lighting yet another cigar.

I went inside the chopper and sat beside the sleeping form of Marcus.


	3. Chapter 3

Author's Note: Being in charge of the group is a little difficult and I'm glad every one was able to put up with me. Ellen Reese's writer wasn't able to join in for this chapter because of her timezone and busy schedule kept her from joining. So any mention of her in this chapter was not in the roleplay.

Anyone who can guess who I named Geoff after gets a brownie and a nerd point.

* * *

Jash Connor's Point of View

I was lying beside John Connor in bed. Birds were singing outside the window. Judgment Day had never happened and Skynet was a nightmare of the past. John, myself, Sarah Connor, and the unknowable Cameron had stopped the end of the world. Derek Reese had helped and I had been able to hold back my wrath that came whenever I thought of him.

I closed my eyes and when I opened them I realized that I had been dreaming. Judgment Day had happened and John was dead. Turning my head I could see Marcus still deep in sleep. It was interesting to see him when he wasn't being crazy or annoying. When he was just a sleeping human like all the rest of his species. He seemed normal, in a way.

As I stood up I realized that he had some cuts that I hadn't noticed before. The fact that I hadn't been concerned about every one involved in this mission disturbed me. I nodded to Ellen and then exited the chopper.

I stretched and looked to see how Sirrush was doing. Elder was still fixing the chopper and seemed a little angry about his lack of progress. A slight smirk came to my face at his pain. Younger, on the other hand, was sleeping on the top of the chopper. She wasn't bothered by anything that was happening. I wish I could tap into her peaceful energy at times.

Elder and I shared a single glance then I walked to the cave entrance. I had to check with Tyler to catch up on everything that had happened while I was asleep. I was the leader so I, unfortunately, had to actually pay attention to what was happening. I couldn't just let things happen as they did, I had to be in control.

As I got closer to the cave entrance I realized that there was another reason I wanted to check up on Tyler. I wanted to see daylight. Living Post-Judgment Day meant being underground most of the time. Sunlight was a legend to most Resistance fighters.

Upon arriving to where Tyler was sitting, I saw that he was smoking yet another cigar. He seemed bored and that was a good thing. If he was bored then nothing exciting had happened. Which meant I didn't have to feign guilt about falling asleep.

Tyler's M-20 was in its usually spot on his back.

I walked up to him with no expression on my face and asked, "So anything exciting happen while I was asleep?"

"Not really," He replied. "A few deer ran by."

A smile formed on my face as I realized what seeing wildlife meant. It meant that the world could carry on after the war had been won. That everything was not as hopeless as Skynet would like us to believe.

"Nice that wildlife is still able to flourish in these times." I replied as a smile grew on my face.

"Yeah, it is." Tyler said without a trace of giving a shit. Who could blame him, though? He wasn't one to show emotion and boredom had probably crept in for him. I had been asleep while he had been awake staring at a desolate landscape.

"I'll take your watch now." I stated. "Someone needs to keep an eye on Mr. Nutjob. I'm afraid Elder will rip his head off."

While I knew that Elder would be able to control himself, the image of him killing Marcus in some fashion seemed like a real possibility to me. No need to tell Marcus my thoughts since that might worry him too much and make him even more alien to me.

"Alright." Tyler replied and I watched him walk into the cave.

I decided to stand and look at the landscape. I decided just to admire it before anything bad happened.

* * *

Elder Sirrush's Point of View

The fact that I was the only one in charge of fixing the chopper was maddening. More maddening was the fact that Mother hadn't insisted anyone else help me. I didn't know whether she thought I was the best for the job or that she figured since I was flying that I better fix it.

I didn't argue about it when she woke up and I didn't yell at her when she left for the cave entrance. If Mother gave me a task I would do it. I would do it and make her proud. A few seconds after Mother had left, I heard Marcus start moving around.

"Better still have ammo." I heard him say and then rummage through his backpack. "Anyone need ammo?"

I decided to ignore him. Maybe if I ignored him he would shut up and give me peace. I needed peace as the chopper looked like it would never be fixed.

"Anyone wounded? I'm a medic as well as a nutcase!" Marcus said to no one.

I sighed as I realized I had to talk to him. I had to be social with him. Mother would want that from me. It would make her proud.

"On the ground I have what I need. The little weapon cache that Tyler found will be good enough for now." I said angrily. After a few seconds I realized that, to be polite, I should answer Marcus' other statement. "I am not wounded."

I heard footsteps and turned my head to see Tyler coming towards the chopper. Mother must have taken watch duty. I followed Tyler's movements until he went inside the chopper, then I just listened.

"This is mine." He stated, laying claim on a weapon. Most likely the mini-gun he and my Other had found before Mother had taken her nap.

"Suit yourself." Marcus replied and I heard him rummaging around as I went back to my task of fixing the chopper.

As I continued to work I heard Marcus eat something. I hadn't eaten in awhile, but I wasn't going to let that bother me. Maybe after I had finished fixing the chopper I'd be allowed a five minute lunch break. I would've taken one earlier, but fixing the vehicle was more important than my personal problems.

"These are mine. This too. " Marcus said as he rummaged through the weapons some more. After he had put more things into his backpack, I saw him walk out of the chopper. There was a mix of pride and happiness on his face. It looked like now that he had stuff he felt important and was thereby fulfilled.

"I didn't bring it," Tyler said as he followed Marcus out of the chopper. I assumed he was talking about the mini-gun. "I found it."

"You found it? Where?" Marcus asked, suddenly even more intrigued. So interested now that he offered Tyler some of his whiskey. "On the chopper?"

Tyler shakes his head, declining the invitation of whiskey. "Nope, here in this cave." He replied.

I tried to distract myself from any oncoming insanity by focusing on my work. The quicker I fixed the chopper, the sooner the mission would be over.

* * *

Jash Connor's Point of View

I thought of the wind in my face as a blessing. It wasn't like it had been Pre-Judgment Day, but at least it was there. At least I could feel it. Every inner thought I was having was always second to making sure no danger came.

Tyler had seen nothing of importance and now I was seeing the same thing. Even though I knew it was better that there be no complications, I thought the idea of something exciting happening was good. I was getting very bored.

* * *

Elder Sirrush's Point of View

Tyler had lit yet another cigar. It seemed like he would die of lung cancer before the day was over. That or he wouldn't live to see a world without Skynet.

"So they left a mini-gun in the cave?" Marcus asked. "At least we found something good to help us, I won't question how it got there."

That was the smartest thing Marcus had ever said. But I still didn't think he was any smarter than before.

"Probably best that you do that." I replied with a little bit of disdain. "Don't want to hurt your small...brain."

Tyler chuckled at my joke which gave me courage to do more wounding of this insane human. Marcus, of course, was not amused.

"I may have a small brain, but I got some pretty big scars and wounds." Marcus replied. Why the hell was he bringing up what had happened to his body in a debate about his intelligence? "Just because I'm crazy doesn't mean I don't have feelings."

I paused as if I was considering an important philosophical question. Though, in reality, I was putting as much thought into my upcoming reply as I did taking each breath.

"So are scars the human substitute for brains?" I retort and think that will put the annoying human in its place.

The moment after I said my reply my Other started making a sound. To Tyler and Marcus, Ellen hadn't made any sounds for awhile so I assumed she had taken a nap, the sounds would just be random. They would mean nothing.

I saw images in my head that showed Marcus crying and being stressed while back at base. I saw his humanity and understood my Other's point. I wouldn't question how she had gotten these images, it was likely that her hiding abilities were the cause. My little sneaky Other.

"Younger says that she knows you have feelings and she cares, for some reason." I said, translating for the two humans. Then a new series of images came into my mind that were a warning from my Other. "She also tells me not to make sarcastic comments on missions because we don't need you even more unstable."

Tyler turned to Marcus and said, "You better listen to her, buddy."

I was glad for a supporter and so nodded my thanks. I also said, "I will keep Younger's comments in mind for feature remarks."

"Good." Tyler replied. "How long until repairs are done?"

Finally someone was focusing on the important thing that was going on. Someone was asking about my hard work.

As I was about to reply Marcus broke his silence by saying, "Why? He's just a dragon. Even if he does eat me I'll just strap C4 to my chest and blow him up." He clapped in glee only he was privy to. "And stop it, you dragon thingy, at least Younger isn't so cruel to me."

He shook his head and walked back to the chopper.

My thoughts were becoming nothing but anger. How dare he threaten me and, in turn, my Other! How dare this useless piece of meat do such a thing.

I walked up to Marcus and said, "If you kill Younger you'll have me and Jash on your ass. Hell, if you kill me you'll have Jash on your ass."

Marcus looked at me angrily and replied, "I already have Jash on my ass. If you're on my ass too I imagine it won't be any different than before. Except you're a...you know...fire breathing dragon and if I kill you I'll already be dead. Remember the C4?"

I saw Tyler, whose movements had gone unnoticed by me because of my anger towards Marcus, walk out of the chopper. He must have gone in to get his M-20 as it was now slung over his shoulder again.

After marking Tyler's position, I addressed Marcus, "I don't breathe fire. Neither does Younger." I paused as I imagined Jash somehow bringing Marcus back from the dead just to kill him again. "And don't think being dead will stop Jash from killing you."

Marcus appeared confused and replied, "What? I'm confused. If I'm dead how will Jash kill me? I don't think you can get a free pass to Hell."

"From what Jash tells me, she can find a way to anything."

I saw Tyler, from the corner of my eye, just stand there and watch the battle of words continue. Marcus, on the other hand, was silent and I assumed he was going to reply with what he hoped was a zinger.

Finally Marcus said, "I won't continue this conversation because that one line sounded wrong. " Marcus looked to Tyler with a slight grin on his face. "Hope you're enjoying this, Tyler, grab some popcorn. One day I'm gonna shoot myself from arguing too much."

I looked as Marcus turned to Tyler and offered him some whiskey again. Tyler just shook his head and replied, "Not my fault you get into arguments."

"What?" Marcus asked with confusion in every inch of his voice. "Elder started the argument to begin with. And you sided with Elder and not me. I'm the only one on my side. I'm just the crazy guy who every one tries to piss off because it's funny."

* * *

Jash Connor's Point of View

Being on watch duty was boring. At least this time watch duty was boring. The wind blew and nothing came. Everything was the same and it didn't look like that was going to change. Ever. And with that boredom came thoughts that I always tried to keep in the back of my mind.

Thoughts of John Connor turning crazy, about how Sarah Connor had died, and the moment I realized I had never been human. The point when I found out I was a Xeno.

I was pulled out of my thoughts by movement on the horizon. It was slight movement and it was only with years of practice that I was able to spot it. I focused on the movement and realized it was a group of humans.

As I didn't know their intentions I went behind a boulder to keep myself out of sight while never letting them leave my sight. When they kept getting closer to the cave entrance I realized that I had to warn the others now. While it would be fun to let them encounter this group, it wouldn't be in the best interest of the Resistance.

And I was a leader in the Resistance, which meant that I couldn't have as much fun as others.

I kept out of sight, but I ran quickly into the cave. Excitement embracing my very being as boredom left me.

As I got close to the chopper I heard Elder say, "You do realize that Younger was defending you and you have at least one soldier on your side."

Goddammit, Marcus and Elder fighting. When I get close enough for them to be in my sight I could see that all were still alive. At least now I can give Marcus a way of blowing off steam. That is if the humans I saw were enemies. Even if they weren't we could still beat them up a little and pretend we couldn't tell that they were friendly. Anything to keep Marcus calm.

I finally stood in front of them and said, "We might have company. Are you all ready?"

Tyler cocked his M-20 and replied, "Yeah."

"Finally some enemies!" Marcus shouted in joy and raced into the chopper. He came back out with an M-60 and pretended to aim at enemies only he could see.

"You won't fall asleep this time? Will you, Marcus?" I asked with a slight smirk on my face. It was good to see him in his blood crazed moments. The moments when he was amusing and not annoying.

"'Course not," He replied and kept on pretending to aim at invisible enemies. "Only if I drink too much whiskey."

While Marcus' antics were amusing, the thought that I had to depend on him with my life was slightly horrifying. Was his actions now for laughs or were they signs that he was mad? I shook my head as I cleared it. No time to worry about death until after I was dead.

"Ellen and Sirrush will protect the chopper." I ordered and Elder looked disappointed while Younger merely shrugged her shoulders. Ellen finally stepped out of the chopper and we shared a glance. I wanted her safe and knew that she was a very good defense if all Hell were to break loose. Her glance, though, seemed to indicate that she thought I didn't trust her enough. That was far from the case. "Tyler and Marcus, you're with me."

Tyler and Marcus both walked quickly towards me. I turned around and trusted them to follow me. We quickly reached the cave entrance where the group of humans, that I could now see were dressed like nomads, started shouting when they saw us. I took my katanas out and relished the sound they made as they exited their scabbards.

Marcus made the first move by aiming at the nomads and ducking behind a boulder. He then quickly fired and hit two of the nomads.

As I hear Tyler and ED-E make their moves I allowed the nomads to hit me twice in the chest. It hurt, but I was used to it. I went back a few steps as I healed. The bullets that would do wonders to a human, didn't do anything permanent to me. It felt good to be that powerful. It felt good to be invincible. At least up until the point someone shot my heart, then it wouldn't be fun anymore. I'd be dead if my heart was damaged beyond repair.

I heard the nomads that had shot me mutter something as the healing process completed itself. I turned my hed and looked at Tyler grabbing his magnum from his belt and then shooting the head off a nomad. He was a deadly soldier, even more deadly when you threatened ED-E.

"What the hell are they saying?" I heard Marcus ask. I turned to see him use a nomad as a human shield and then snapped his neck. "Don't get up."

I shook my head. Need to get some rules about not using people as shields in the future.

"They are saying something that loosely translates to 'For the good of our god'." Serina replied. I assumed she was using this opportunity to make herself appear useful. "They might be saying demi-god instead of god, though."

The nomads that had fired on me earlier finally got enough courage to try and attack me. I disarmed them with little effort. I didn't like to kill unless I had to. Us Terminators killed because doing so made us achieve our objectives. We weren't senseless killing machines.

I looked at the two nomads with amusement as they tried to hide.

"If they're worshiping a god, I'll be happy to to send them to meet him!" Tyler shouted as he shot another nomad.

"How do you know it isn't a her?" I asked.

"Must we always have this conversation?" Serina asked in her own unique tone of annoyance.

I would've replied to her, but a nomad jumped off a boulder as he aimed his gun at me. I sliced it in half and saw a look of pure determination once he recovered. With a call from his fellow nomads, he joined the retreat. But not without making it known, with just his eyes, that he would've fought to the death.

I turned to Tyler and decided for him to make a choice. I asked him, "Your call, Tyler, go after them now or allow them to retreat."

I was hoping that he'd say to let the nomads retreat. I didn't consider them a threat worth going after. But he was a good soldier and, if I were to die, I'd like to make sure that those who came after me had good people beside them.

"I'll go after them, you guys go back." He replied and started to sprint after them.

I shook my head. Of course I give him a little freedom and then all he thinks of is himself. How very human. But, then, if I was given the chance to get away from this madness known as a team I would take it too.

"Ellen and Sirrush are protecting the chopper." I said more to myself than to anyone else. "I need to make sure you're okay by the end."

I then started to go after Tyler and started looking for Marcus. After a second I found him fighting a nomad that had decided not to retreat.

"Say your prayers." Marcus said right before shooting the nomad dead.

He then turned to and ran after his temporary leader. Not because of any friendship he felt for me, but because he had noticed Tyler running towards the mass of retreating nomads. As Tyler slid down a wall I turned to Marcus and winked at him which I followed up with a smile. I then followed Tyler and did as he did.

The scenery we were running across was a broken down town. I didn't know what town it had been or how it came to be in its current state. I just knew that it had taken a beating and now the nomads must be using it to rest in.

"I don't want to hurt them that bad." Tyler said once Marcus and myself caught up to him.

As Marcus continued to run he drank from his flask, of course he had to bring a flask on a mission, and finally commented on me smiling at him by saying, "I must be in Hell, Jash never smiles at me. Jash, are you trying to seduce me?" He then laughed at his own joke. "Because it might work if you have whiskey."

"You're being useful, you deserve a smile." I replied. What harm could showing him a little kindness do? He needed the morale boost anyways.

"We should just cripple them with a rusty pipe." He said, all thoughts of joking with me seemed a thing of the past in just an instant.

"We'll see what happens." I told the loyal soldier. I didn't like being attacked, but striking back meant something. It meant that the other side was now aware of us and so we needed to be careful. It wasn't fear that made me think this way, it was the fact that my battle strategy was to hit in the most painful of spots.

"And I deserve a cookie, doesn't mean I'm getting one." Tyler said, focusing on my compliment of Marcus.

"Tyler, I'll give you a cookie. Might be special ingredients in it, though." I joked.

"I've got cookies. Like drug or grenade cookies." Marcus replied.

He, again, chuckled at his own joke. While he could amuse us, there was no one he could amuse more than himself.

Tyler's pace quickened as we caught up with the nomads.

"Yeah, figured I wouldn't get an actual cookie from you." I said and pretended my sigh was real.

I saw that we were approaching the nomad camp. The 'camp', if you really wanted to use that word, appeared to be a high school. Well, a former high school that had updates made to it from Judgment Day and Post-Judgment Day happenings. Its form was now made to seem that the high school was a cave and a lot of things were probably underground. But it could still be seen that it had once been a high school where human children had learned about life.

"Now we are getting into the center of this shit!" Marcus yelled with pure enthusiasm.

Tyler looked at the camp and took cover behind an old vending machine, ED-E floated up as he was stronger than Tyler, Marcus used a trash can as cover and took aim at the nomads, and I just stopped when the nomads pointed their guns at me. Well, they were also pointing at the other three, but I was the one not hiding behind any cover.

Suddenly someone shouted and the nomads lowered their guns. Their faces were close to expressionless but the way they lowered their guns showed that they weren't happy to abandon the fight. Especially a fight involving dangerous foes.

The nomad leader was well dressed. Not like a business person was before Judgment Day, but slightly better than the other nomads. The difference was slight but big enough to show that this man held power. That the fate of men and women were controlled by his breath.

The nomad leader had his arms held up in front of him with his palms facing towards us. It was a sign of peace. I turned my head to my two soldiers and shook my head. We didn't need to fight now. Not if there was a way we could either avoid fighting altogether or find a way to attack and live.

"Well now we won't get shot." Marcus said, his gun aimed directly at the nomad leader's heart. "You holding a pistol under your clothes?"

"It is not for you to know and, if Mark permits, you will not find out." The nomad leader said calmly. While I didn't trust him, we had killed some of his men and chased them back to their camp, I admired how calmly he was handling the situation.

"Who's Mark?" Tyler yelled from behind the vending machine.

"Answer the question!" Marcus demanded. "I want to know if the second I lower this here rifle you're not gonna pull a fast one on us and shoot Tyler in the head."

He then said to Tyler, "Good question, bro."

Great, I could see that Marcus cared more for Tyler than for the one in charge. No mention of me being shot and him giving a shit. Of course that could just be Marcus realizing it was near impossible to kill me so why should he worry. Either way, it was good that the soldiers had bonded.

I put my own katanas back in their scabbards without turning away from the nomad leader. My eyes stayed focused on his as I didn't want to let him out of my sight for even half a second. I decided to give no signal for Marcus and Tyler to lower their own weapons. If they were to attack I wanted to be able to distance myself from their actions.

"Mark is of Skynet but not a machine." The nomad leader said in a tone befitting a preacher. "He should be metal, but he is flesh."

The nomad leader turned to look at Marcus and did not flinch. He said, "If you were to fire at me my men would fire back. If none of you show ill will against me, I will not have to retaliate."

ED-E beeped his response and it sounded like he was saying, "No fucking way."

"I'll take that chance." Marcus stated. "You try to do anything and I will pop a bullet right in your forehead. I'll let Jash do the talking."

I heard ED-E charge his lasers.

As I was keeping my eyes focused on the nomad leader I heard Marcus move and faintly heard him say, "I'll admit that bot thing has pretty cool lasers. Think that guy will trick us and we'll wake up in a dark torture room?"

Tyler whispered his reply, "More than likely."

"If we do I'll let you take the first cut to the chest." He followed his response with a chuckle as was the norm with him.

I saw the nomad leader change where he was looking and decided to follow his gaze. I saw that he was looking at ED-E. I realized that in order to be able to complete the mission, the one we had begun with, I would have to make a move. I would have to show the nomad leader that we meant no harm.

I turned back to the nomad leader and hugged him. I didn't hug him because I liked him, but because if he didn't attack me it would prove that they weren't going to harm us. At least for now. I wasn't going to put any bets down on a torture room, but I didn't think they would say no to killing us.

After a few seconds the nomad leader returned my hug. When it finally ended I turned to Tyler and Marcus, the latter I saw had moved next to his brother in arms, and said, "You can lower your guns, soldiers."

The point at which I could pass off Tyler and Marcus' actions not reflecting my own intentions was gone. I had to show that I was in control of them.

Tyler nodded and put his magnum back on his belt. I guess he didn't love that M-20 enough as it had been discarded during the initial fight with the nomads.

Marcus didn't put down his own rifle and, instead, looked at me and said, "I can't lower mine. I don't trust him. If he does something stupid I'll kill him."

The fact that Marcus didn't get the point annoyed me. He should've known, since we had been fighting together for a long time, that I wasn't stupid and that trusting the nomads wouldn't be the first thing I'd do. He should've known that attacking them now would be stupid.

But, then again, Marcus was merely a soldier that followed orders and didn't normally have to think about the bigger picture.

Calming myself I walked over to Marcus and Tyler. I thought about how I'd word my speech and then whispered to them, "I don't trust him, but best not to bring conflict until it is needed. We are outnumbered and outgunned. We need to save power, unless otherwise needed, to destroy the Xeno. And Mark may be the Xeno we are looking for and these nomads might lead us to him. If they don't, you are free to kill them in whichever manner you wish. For now I only ask you lower your guns and pretend to believe they are peaceful."

Tyler signaled to ED-E to shut its lasers down and Marcus sighed.

He slung his rifle over his shoulder and whispered back, "I'll play along for now because you make a good point."

I whispered to him, "That's why I'm in charge and you're just here to look cute. You'd make a good Deadpool."

As I walked back in front of the nomad leader I heard Marcus reply, "I'm cute?"

I smiled and then regained composure when I got in front of the nomad leader.

I lied and said, "We mean you no harm."

That was the truth if I believed that the nomads were peaceful and hadn't attacked first.

"Nor do I." Was his reply.

"Is this Mark like me?"

"You and him are both from Skynet but are flesh."

I pretended to think so that the nomad leader wouldn't know I had already formed my own opinions on the matter. "Would you take us to him so I could meet a possible brother?"

The nomad leader considered it for moment. The question of mere mortals, and outsiders, seeing a deity was a hard one. I knew that. I had formed my own cult, that I still used from time to time, and understood the basic tenants.

He finally said, "We would have to make sure you are worthy to meet him. Will you and your men allow our testing?"

I turned to Marcus and Tyler. While having them stand down against a possible enemy was a good move, asking them to go into a trap was another thing. It was something that I could not order them to do. They'd have to choose it themselves.

Marcus nodded at me and answered, "I'll take the test."

"Alright," Tyler said and shrugged. "I'll do it."

I held back a sigh as I realized we'd be walking into a trap and there'd be nothing we could do about it. I was worried about Ellen whose strength helped me fight, though I'd never admit that to her. She wouldn't believe it anyway. Her and Sirrush were waiting at the chopper and I didn't like leaving them there. I knew all of them would be able to keep themselves safe, but I didn't like having to trust them in that manner.

"We agree to your testing." I answered the nomad leader as I turned back to him.

"Then you can follow us inside our base and we'll test you shortly." The nomad leader said without seeming proud or worried. He was indifferent to us. Or at least he was putting that on for us.

"Lead the way." I said and then walked back so Tyler and Marcus could be on either side of me. ED-E floated behind us.

"I hope these tests don't kill us." Marcus said and turned his head to me as we started to follow the nomad leader.

"I got a bad feeling about this." Tyler muttered.

"We all do, brother, we all do." Marcus answered him and turned his head to look forward. "Are these tests about skill?"

Walking into the former high school I tried to imagine what it had been like before. I had never needed to go through school, even when I went back in time I didn't pretend to be a high school student to be closer to John, and so it was hard for me. I guessed the hallways would be full of teenagers going about their day. Cheerleaders, football players, and a vast assortment of cliques moving in one place.

Now the hallways were full of nomads that paid us no mind. They probably figured that if me and my men were dangerous we wouldn't be allowed in here. Or if we were dangerous, that the nomad leader had a backup plan in place.

While Marcus and Tyler were on either side of me, ED-E followed at a distance.

"Quoting from Star Wars?" I asked Tyler. I had to break this silence or else I'd feel frightened. "Help us, Obi-Wan Kenobi, you're our only hope."

"These tests are to make sure that you are worthy." The nomad leader finally replied to Marcus. The nomad leader didn't pay any attention to any comments made about our safety. "There is skill involved, of course."

The nomad leader stopped in front of a room. The door had crayon drawings on it. The simple style, and the fact a crayon was used, indicated that the nomads had children that weren't in the hallways. But, then again, the nomad leader wouldn't want to risk the next generation in a gambit.

"Wait in here and Carla will come shortly to test your loyalty." The nomad leader said as he opened the door. I silently commanded Serina do a scan of the room.

The room had a couch in the center and a few simple chairs scattered around.

"Thank you, sir." I said and walked in followed by Marcus, Tyler, and ED-E. Once we were all in, the nomad leader gently closed the door.

As soon as the door shut Marcus leaned against a wall and said, "I wouldn't mind Anakin Skywalker and the rest of the Jedi jumping in to help."

After a few seconds he added, "Carla? I bet she's his wife."

As Serina's scan continued, Tyler also looked around the room. The nomad leader could've been lying and this room was intended to be the last one we were ever in.

"Scan complete." Serina finally said and I breathed a sigh of relief. Good, there was a high likelihood that the tests were real. Now, if they ended up killing us would be another matter. "There is nothing dangerous in here."

"At least not for now." I say under my breath. If we completed the tests there could be danger in here afterwards. "And the leader might have multiple wives for all we know, Marcus."

"Multiple? This guy must be a real pimp if he has more than one wife." Marcus said and made the bold decision to sit on the couch. I didn't mention to him that the nomad leader, since he appeared to be part of a cult, could use his influence and not his sex appeal. Those in power tended to get laid easier. "So you know this 'Mark', Jash?"

Since I was a Xeno I must know all other Xenos, right? Did he not realize how much I didn't want to work with a Terminator, especially one that was like me, and so I didn't have reunions with them?

My reply to Marcus was allowed time to form itself into something more refined as I heard Tyler say, "I ain't trusting that couch."

I turned to see Tyler standing in front of the couch. A look of pure determination was on his face to not let being tired make him fall prey to what he saw as an obstacle.

"What?" Marcus asked. "Did they plant a mine under the couch? I would rather get blown up by a couch than not sit down for a moment."

Ah, Marcus and his priorities.

"You are smart for a human, Tyler." Serina reassured Tyler.

"I don't know of any Xeno made in this timeline. Hell, I didn't know of any in my own timeline. I might've met some but never known it. Not like we were in our own little Xeno Abomination club or anything. And, Marcus, I think Tyler is referring to anything that might be living in the couch." I said.

Of course I didn't tell Marcus about the hospital. One of the biggest tarnishes on my name. Now that Lillith had died, Marty had killed her when she was torturing me, there was no one but me who could tell that story. And I never wanted to tell it again.

"Yeah, you know like a coon or a possum." Tyler said, defending himself.

"A possum? I always wanted one as a pet. Get out here, possums, from under the couch!" Marcus yelled excitedly. All his talk about sitting on the couch going down the drain.

The antics of the two was amusing and I smiled. Hell was lose on the Earth, but at least there were moments like these to counteract them. To show that hope was not lost and there was still joy to be found.

I heard a knock on the door and asked them, "Ready?"

"As ready as I'll ever be." Marcus said and became serious within half a second.

"I never passed a test before, only narrowly avoided failure." Tyler said. Sometimes I wondered who could have a better pity fest and at other times I didn't want to know the answer.

"Come in." I said towards the door and it opened.

A woman stepped through the door and I could tell that the events before and after Judgment Day had tired her. Though all of her looked tired and worn, there was strength in her eyes. There was determination in them and I liked it. Even if she turned out to be an enemy, she would be an enemy I didn't mind having.

"I am Carla." She said and smiled gently. "I assume you are the ones undergoing testing."

Instead of answering her, Marcus replied, "You look tired. Hard being the leader's wife?"

"I am no one's wife. I make my own decisions of who to bed. I am weary because the world is torn." Carla said angrily. The fact that women had freedom over their own sexuality in this little cult of Mark's was interesting. It also seemed empowering.

Tyler just looked at Carla and lit a cigar.

"I was just asking a question." Marcus said, not seeming to get the importance of Carla's reply nor that assuming from her being the first nomad woman we met with that she was the leader's wife would make her angry. I felt like smiling at her and saying, 'Men.' But I didn't.

After Marcus said his reply he whispered something to Tyler that I didn't focus on. Marcus was probably saying some joke and the matter at hand was more important. It could quickly turn into a matter of life and death.

"Who wants to go first?" Carla asked me. So this was the first test. To see if I was loyal to my own men. She had phrased it in such a way that it seemed like she was asking every one. But she was looking at me which showed her true intentions.

"Can you question us at the same time or do you need to go one by one?" I asked after considering how to word my reply.

"I can question you all at once if you and your men prefer." Carla answered. She seemed angered by this. Maybe her original plan was falling apart.

"I like to be questioned alone." Marcus replied arrogantly. "I'll wait my turn."

Of course Marcus would think that a vote would be decided by him. Of course his ego would be big enough to not comprehend that he was not the deciding factor of this conflict.

"I'd prefer you ask us all at once. Saves us some time." Tyler answered. I liked his reply over Marcus'. Tyler got that getting back to Sirrush and Ellen was important and he also got that he wasn't the one that would decide the vote.

"I've got all the time in the world." Marcus the megalomaniac retorted. "Ain't got nothing to lose."

"We'll have you question us all at once, then. We shouldn't keep our chopper waiting." I told Carla.

"I see I don't get a choice in the matter." Marcus mutters under his breath.

"You have more men?" Carla asked, ignoring Marcus completely. This news seemed to worry her. So they did mean to attack us?

"We only have ourselves and our transportation for company." I shook my head as I lied.

"Then I shall start. What side are you fighting for?"

"We're fighting for survival and freedom." Marcus answered while not answering the question at all.

"What he said." Tyler stated. Sometimes Tyler was a strong soldier and other times his nervousness got to me. This was one of those times.

"I am fighting to bring freedom to humanity." I said. Hey, if the others were going to abandon the question I saw no reason to change that. Maybe Marcus had caught on that Carla would attack us if we said we were fighting for the Resistance. But I didn't think he had that much foresight.

"And which side are you fighting for?" Carla asked again. A look of pure annoyance was on her face. "Do you think the Resistance can bring what you seek? Do you think Skynet can?"

I waited to see if the two boys would actually answer the question this time.

"The Resistance." Tyler answered and I thought this could go well.

"What he said." Marcus replied and I didn't know if he was joking or not. So I didn't know whether to be annoyed or pissed off.

"My loyalties have always been to the Resistance." I said proudly. It was true, my loyalties had always been to the Resistance. This was true even though Skynet had had me brainwashed at one point.

"I see...and why do you side with the Resistance?" Carla asked. It was a strange question and I knew that we had walked into a trap. I had guessed it before, but with that question my fears were confirmed. "What do they do to ensure you get what you want?"

I turned to look at Marcus and Tyler but they didn't answer. Both just looked at the nomad woman and I could only hope that their silence was due to them thinking a reply.

I turned back to Carla and said, "It is humanity's best hope."

"What about John Connor? Wasn't he humanity's best and last hope?" Carla asked in a way that could only be described as gloating.

The news that John Connor had gone crazy and had to be killed had spread outside of the Resistance. It had spread to people that thought to use that knowledge to their advantage. Either to gain confidence to attack the Resistance or to use in instances like these.

I kept quiet and tried to find my serenity. I had to make sure that I didn't react violently. The action of taking out my katanas and killing Carla was very tempting. To kill the one who would dare use John's name in such a vile manner.

"Just a tip." Marcus said. "Don't mention Connor."

"Is it a sour spot?" Carla asked as she feigned both ignorance and kindness.

"Yes. And I hope for your sake you don't mention him again." I replied in the calmest tone I could muster.

"Is the only reason that you're loyal to the Resistance because of him?"

"I am loyal to the Resistance because it's humanity's best hope." I answered and tried to convince myself what I said was true. I had been loyal to the Resistance, at first, because Skynet had to be stopped. Once I had met John he became my reason to fight.

"Do you feel the same way?" Carla asked. She focused her sight off of me so I assumed she was looking at Marcus and Tyler. From her expression she seemed to hope that they would abandon me. Was she doing this so that I would be fighting against my own men or alone? Or, since I thought of these people as being in a cult, save their souls?

"Yes." Tyler answered.

"I do." Marcus agreed.

"And why do you feel Skynet is making you not achieve your goals?" Carla questioned.

"They're trying to kill all of us." Tyler said, seeming to be surprised at the question. And his confusion was warranted as only delusional people thought siding with Skynet was a good option.

"They're assholes." Marcus said and then had a sudden insight into the meaning of decency. "I mean...yeah, they tried to kill us."

"Their end goal has always been to end humanity." I told Carla coldly.

"But they gave you life, Connor." Carla said and I nearly acted out on my wishes to kill her. Skynet was my creator but I owed it nothing. Just because it created me didn't mean I felt a need to have it succeed. Skynet had created me and I would destroy it.

When I didn't respond to her taunt, Carla asked the others, "And they gave you Jash."

Tyler and Marcus didn't reply so she asked her question again, "But Skynet gave your leader life and if she didn't exist you wouldn't have her. So is Skynet your enemy?"

"They are trying to kill us." Tyler stated simply.

"I'm trying to be nice here, but Skynet is still our enemy. They have been killing every human they see now for years! Of course they're our enemies." Marcus answered.

"The loyalty test is complete." Carla said with a smirk on her face. We must have confirmed the nomad leader's plan which didn't bode well for our safety. "In a few minutes another will come to show you where your combat testing will take place."

I nodded to Carla and she left. I didn't let my guard down until she left the room. Even then I made sure to be aware of any danger that might enter.

"Finally, a test I'm looking forward to." I heard Marcus crack his knuckles and then I turned around to look at him. He was now sitting on the couch. I looked at Tyler who was still standing.

"I hope this test involves some bloodshed." Marcus said and took out his flask. But then put it away again before drinking out of it.

"I doubt it. They'll most likely be using their own men and they don't want those to die." I replied and didn't say that it wouldn't be good to kill them. After the nomads stopped with the charade it'd be okay to kill them. But not now.

"So can I cripple them at least?"

I shrugged in reply. As long as Marcus didn't kill anyone I'd be happy.

"I'll just beat 'em up. Promise." Marcus said.

"Yeah, beat 'em up good." I replied and smirked.

"I will, this is what I live for. Good thing the military taught me hand to hand combat."

"Wish it taught you more." I said and smiled.

"I know how to break some bones so I hope they don't mind bone breaking."

"Just don't tire yourself out too much, Marcus, they might turn on us. And wearing us down is a good strategy." I warned the crazed soldier.

"Oh, I won't be worn out that easily. I can beat up guys all day." Marcus boasted. "Just give me some whiskey, point, and then I'm there."

"I'll be sure to always have some whiskey on me in case I need all that energy." I replied. This was one of those moments that Marcus was amusing me and I had to hold back my laughter.

ED-E beeped and he flew in front of Tyler. The robot had been so silent that I had nearly forgotten he existed. But that was ED-E, he was silent until needed. But why was he needed now?

"Another audio log?" Tyler asked his robot pal. How many audio logs had ED-E given him?

I waited in anticipation of what the audio log would say and then it began by saying, "I am Whitley and this is the last of the eyebot series for the Resistance. As of this recording, Skynet is going to wipe us out and take over. They will try to use the eyebot series as patrol bots. I've implanted his blueprints in his memory logs and sent him to the nearest Resistance lab. There the blueprints are to be extracted. Look under the right banner."

I looked at ED-E. The robot was actually important. Or he was playing with us. Then again, ED-E had never been one to show that he liked to play around with people. Especially Tyler.

"Seems like your little friend is someone important." I commented to Tyler.

"I'm not going to let him be destroyed if you choose to make more of the little guys. ED-E has grown on me." Tyler stated and I was utterly confused.

I could understand being protective but it was like Tyler didn't understand that to get to things you didn't need to destroy them. But, then again, his whole life now revolved around destruction. So could he really be blamed for jumping to such a conclusion?

"ED-E is cute, why would I destroy him?" I asked.

"His memory logs are damaged and the blueprints can't be retrieved without breaking him open." He explained and I had to keep from rolling my eyes. Because getting to the blueprints means the first thought would be to destroy things unnecessarily. That's why the Resistance was going to win the war against Skynet.

"When we get back you can be in charge of the team that finds the blueprints." I reassured Tyler "That's a promise."

In response Tyler lit another cigar. How the hell did he keep so many of those damn things?

A knock was heard and I reminded myself that the nomads wouldn't try to kill us. Not now, anyways. Later there would be danger, but for now things would be fine.

"You guys ready?" I asked and turned to face the door.

"Hell yeah I am." Marcus said and I heard him walk right up behind me.

I didn't hear Tyler respond but ED-E made a beeping noise. It seemed to be a beep of agreement. While I was a Terminator, I couldn't translate every robot language.

"Hope you're ready to crush some heads, brother." Marcus told Tyler.

"Come in." I said and a man opened the door and then entered the room.

The man was old and yet he was fit. He was old but I would be careful when getting into a fight with him. The signs that he had fought and survived were old. His scars weren't many, but they were there.

"My name is Geoff and I am here to take you to your combat testing." The old man stated in a voice that painted him as either a preacher or soldier before Judgment Day.

"You look like you've seen a few battles." Marcus said. Of course he would admire a man with battle scars.

"That I have, son. Before and after Judgment Day." Geoff answered him. It was clear that the old man liked being complimented. "Follow me."

With that Geoff turned around and started walking to where the combat testing was. He trusted that we would follow because we had nowhere else to go.

I started following Geoff and heard the other three walk behind me. I reminded myself to attack but not to kill. Killing would probably come later.

"So were you ever in the military?" Marcus asked Geoff.

"I was trained, but I never entered into service. I fight the fights I need to, not what the governments decide." Of course Geoff would say that. He was in a cult now and the conspiracy theorist background was paying off for him. He might not be a conspiracy theorist, but his statement sounded like he was one.

"I look forward to fighting you, then."

"I save my strength for battles, son, not so that others know if they can fight or not." Geoff huffed. "And I hope that we never meet on the battlefield, it'll be a sorrowful moment to end such a promising life."

"So when does the fight begin?" Marcus asked.

I had been keeping an eye on where we were going, but it had been the same as before. However, the doors we were in front of now looked like they led to a gym. I had been to high school gyms before, sometimes I was hiding and other times I was bored, and the doors reminded me of ones I had seen in the past.

"Your testing begins when you step through the door. Our finest warriors are waiting to test your skill." Geoff said once he was with his back to the doors. "Who is your best fighter?"

"Marcus would say it's him." I joked. "In all honesty, we haven't fought your men before so we don't know who would fight best against you."

* * *

Geoff's Point of View

I was a fighter through and through. My old age hadn't changed my will or stamina. Putting my faith in Mark wasn't something I did because I was a scared child. When I saw the demi-god from the womb of metal but composed of flesh, I knew where my place was.

Looking at the sister of Mark and her men, I knew she wasn't the same. If she were left to her own devices something worse than Skynet would envelope the Earth.

The only reason I kept up with the Resistance, so I knew things like names and ranks, was to better help anyone that deserved helped. Such as my fellow believers.

"I'll go first." Marcus said. "May the best man win."

The cocky soldier put down his weapons. Was he doing it out of his own desires or the orders of his leader?

"Hand to hand combat is it?" He asked, but his actions indicated the question was rhetorical. "Let's do this!"

With that exclamation he entered the pitch black room. The sister of Mark, on the other hand, lingered in the doorway. Since she was a leader in the Resistance I knew she wasn't afraid, she was just getting a good layout of the room before entering. A few seconds later she entered the room. Taylor entered the room last while ED-E stood outside the door.

Before the fighting began I could hear the steps of my fellow comrades. Then the only things I could tell were sounds.

I heard Marcus say, "I prefer sex with the lights on."

I heard the sister of Mark reply with, "I prefer sex wherever and whenever. Setting doesn't matter for me."

Were they a couple? Maybe my leader would let me kill the cocky soldier in front of his lover's eyes. If they weren't a couple, I'd do the same.

I didn't turn around as Carla told me the news. The glorious news. I nodded in reply and she quickly left.

I turned on the lights and said proudly, "You are attacking the last one, soldiers of the Resistance."

The sister of Mark looked at me with a certainty that she knew they had been fools to think we would allow their filth among us.

Marcus, on the other hand, took a swig of some kind of alcohol from his flask and said, "That was a workout."

I knew then why he wasn't a leader. He couldn't sense the danger like the sister of Mark could.

I allowed a smirk to grace my face as I said, "Yes, you are done. And your friends at the chopper are being dealt with. Have been being dealt with since your 'testings'. The chopper is destroyed but your friends seem to have escaped. Now we deal with you."


	4. Chapter 4

**Author's Note:** I decided to go for two plots for this story. One will be with Jash, Marcus, and Tyler while the other will be with Sirrush and Ellen Reese. I want Ellen to have a part in this roleplay and that's why there'll be chapters without certain characters.

I mention a few species from the Dragon Division which is ever expanding.

* * *

**Elder Sirrush's Point of View**

The nomads had come shortly after Mother had went to defend the cave entrance with Marcus and Tyler. I had wanted to be on that part of the mission since I figured that I would see the most action that way. I wanted to prove to myself that I could fight alongside Mother and not fail. And then she left me to guard the vehicle. I expected to get only a few shots at the enemy.

I was wrong.

For awhile there had been shooting at the front of the cave entrance and then things had grown quiet. I expected Mother to return shortly thereafter and bring an update. Then we would look for this rumored Xeno. I didn't know if it existed and didn't want it to. I wanted my creator to be something special.

After a short period of silence the nomads had returned. There was no sign of Mother or the two other Resistance fighters. After each shot I fired at a nomad, I thought of what might have happened to them. Either they were dead or captured. I didn't know which was the worse option.

I would have run off the first chance I could but I had a duty. I still had to protect both my Other and Ellen Reese. I would've run before now if that wasn't the case.

I aimed and shot at more nomads but there were more of them than us. Sparing a glance at the chopper I realized that I couldn't protect it. Even if I could, I would risk the lives of my Other and Ellen to do so. Two things that couldn't be replaced. That wasn't a risk a good soldier would take.

Not even Marcus would take that chance and he was the most insane man I knew.

I let out a roar only one of the Dragon Division could manage. It made a few of the nomads stop and take notice. I felt the roar was one of my weaker contributions, but it did the job and made me happy.

I did it not to spark fear into the nomads, though that was one of the benefits, but to tell Ellen that it was time to go and to give my Other extra incentive to leave.

Ellen was a good fighter and I wished her relationship with Mother was better. Mother should be able to say what she truly thought of the medic.

Right now Ellen continued to shoot at the nomads and paused for a moment to shake her head.

"There is nothing like fighting with people when we have bigger problems." Ellen said and I didn't know what she meant. What bigger problems? "Low on ammo. We have to get the hell out of here."

If only we were able to get to to the supplies in the chopper. We could risk a run into the chopper but then there'd only be one fighter to protect the other. My Other was a great fighter, no doubt about that, but she couldn't hold off people like either myself or Ellen could.

"Then retreat it is." I said and felt a sense of disappointment come over me in even greater force. I didn't want to run away from a fight, hopeless as it was, but I had to. For my Other and Ellen's sakes.

Through my psychic link with my Other I felt her need to protect Ellen. I knew her protection wouldn't be enough to save the human, but it would have to do. I also felt, though the connection, that my Other knew it wasn't enough but that she would die before she gave up.

As we rushed to get out I heard the nomads shooting at the chopper. Out of the three of us, only my Other was capable of flight and she wouldn't be able to carry either Ellen or myself to safety. Hopefully the nomads would only damage the vehicle so that I could repair it in a few hours.

As we exited the cave I felt heat at my back and heard an explosion. Dammit! Now the way back to base was gone. Unless a Presage, a dragon species from the Dragon Division, decided to pass by and allowed us to ride it. But that was less than likely to happen. I didn't have that kind of luck.

I could see that Ellen, being a human, twitched a little as the heat hit her. I could see why Mother admired this human as another member of Ellen's species wouldn't show such restraint to the pain.

As I started to wonder why the nomads would do such a suicidal move for nothing, as us three had escaped, I heard a bullet hit a boulder that was beside me. With a single glance from Ellen, all three of us changed our tactics to hiding behind boulders whenever possible. I knew I could take a few bullets before there was trouble for me, but the other two weren't as lucky.

The ground underneath our feet went downwards for a little while and then it flattened out. I wasn't naive enough to think this was a good thing. If this level piece of land went on long enough it would allow the nomads to catch up and then either kill or capture us. The same fate that Mother, Marcus, and Tyler had gotten.

Ellen and I ran, while my Other flew, until the ground became a cliff. Without having to look back I could tell that the nomads would soon catch up with us and so we didn't have enough time to come up with a good option.

Ellen looked down and I could tell she didn't want to do what she knew she had to. I looked down and the drop didn't look bad to me. However, Ellen was a human and didn't share my abilities.

"I do not think that you can fly and carry me down, huh?" She asked and I stayed silent. The slight twitching of my wings was answer enough for her. She sighed. "Yeah, I thought so. Well, the only way is down."

I didn't rush her even though I knew danger was close behind us. I did this not because I cared for her, but because I was nervous. I was sure the fall wouldn't kill me, but how soon I would recover afterwards was a different matter entirely.

While those thoughts were going through my head I heard Ellen flinch and then I heard a gunshot. I turned around and saw that the nomads were getting closer. Looking at them I realized that fighting was beyond useless for now. But I still wanted to avoid the option of jumping.

"Damn, I got a bad feeling about this." Ellen said and I turned as I heard her run towards the nomads. My unasked question was answered as she quickly changed course and ran off the cliff. "This was a bad idea. Damn!"

As the human jumped I realized that I would have to join her. I couldn't fight here, nor could I protect her from up here. I didn't give myself a running start, but just jumped and opened my wings. While my wings wouldn't allow me to fly, they would allow me to glide across short distances. I was now opening my wings to slow my fall.

The swooshing sound from my wings gave me a slight feel of exhilaration that made me smile.

My Other squawked and then dived after me. While Ellen and I had to deal with different levels of not being able to control our fall, my Other didn't have that problem. She dived like one of the birds of prey that Mother had talked about.

Luckily I had slowed down my fall enough and landed comfortably in the water. I turned to see Ellen get out of the water and onto the shore. I was surprised that she had recovered so well, but she was a Reese. She had the genes that had attracted Mother to John Connor.

"God, I will not repeat that again! I swear!" Ellen said and I truly hoped she didn't. Everything had turned out fine this time, but who could say what would happen if we repeated the action? Luckily the nomads had assumed we were dead or were looking for another way down.

She looked around and said, "We need to find some shelter. It will be dark soon."

As I started swimming towards the shore I looked to where the nomads could come from. There seemed to be only two places that would be any great advantage for them to try and enter from. Hopefully they would give us enough time to recover before we had to fight them.

When I was close to shore my Other landed on me and I sighed. I sometimes thought that my Other couldn't fully comprehend situations, but with the psychic link I knew this to be false. She was able to be optimistic while Skynet reigned and I was jealous of that ability.

I crawled onto the shore in an odd imitation of an Agnikinesis' walk. I then stood up, stretched, and my wings spread to their full extent. My Other stayed perched comfortably on my head.

When I had relaxed, I folded my wings back and walked so that I stood beside Ellen.

"I hope you won't repeat the action. Though Younger enjoyed it immensely." I said and stopped myself from rolling my eyes. That wouldn't be a fit action for a Resistance fighter. "Possibly we can find a tent or things to make one."

Looking around I didn't see the signs of anything that would make a tent. Not even one that would only fit Ellen.

The human had started to shiver in the cold and I felt sorry for her. Humans were so weak compared to dragons and Terminators, but could do so much in their frail bodies. I could understand why Mother sometimes regretted that she had never been one of them.

"Maybe we would to burn a small fire?" Ellen asked. "I have to warm up and dry."

"Wish either of us could breathe fire. But Jash didn't find that important enough." I said and regretted saying something negative about Mother. She didn't make a mistake and I admit my wanting to breathe fire was because it was what dragons were supposed to do. At least that's what my limited information on the subject had told me.

I sent my Other pictures of firewood and imparted the importance of getting the firewood quickly through our psychic link. She then prepared herself to take off.

* * *

**Younger Sirrush's Point of View**

I don't like conflict and prefer playing around. But I was on a mission and relaxing was not an option. I was shaken up by the nomad attack, but found resting on my Other's head gave me both comfort and courage.

I prepared to fly away to get firewood after my Other gave the order for me to do so.

As I took off I heard my Other tell the human, "She's going to look for some wood. Do you have anything to start a fire with?"

The first few seconds of searching for wood was unnerving. I would be without my Other if there was a fight and what if I couldn't find any firewood? The last thing I wanted to do was disappoint him.

* * *

**Elder Sirrush's Point of View**

As my Other went to look for firewood, Ellen looked at me. I admit it was unnerving and I didn't know what the proper reaction to it was. I decided to maintain a facade of not caring.

"You cannot? Well..you know..." Ellen said so nervously that she couldn't get her intended question out easily. If Mother were here she'd joke about sex. "Make a fire? No? Sorry."

I felt like laughing as asking if I could breathe fire wasn't taboo. If it were, the majority of us dragons wouldn't be able to think due to rage. People like Marcus would joke about us not being able to breathe fire and tensions between the Dragon Division and the rest of the Resistance would rise. Luckily enough, us dragons didn't put much thought into our lacking that ability.

"In moments like these, I regret that I do not smoke cigarettes." She said and started to search in her pockets. "Oh, I've got some! Try these!"

The human then handed me a pack of matches. I turned the box over in my hand and listened to the sound before opening it. While the matches appeared old, they would work. It was a good thing that Ellen had thought to bring them wit her.

"These will work nicely." I said as I closed the box. "And it'd be equally bad if you had cigarettes but no matches."

* * *

**Younger Sirrush's Point of View**

The search was short and I found some wood that would please my Other and Ellen Reese. I circled around it to make sure. I let the aroma from the wood go into my nostrils and looked at the wood closely. I didn't want to pick it up and be attacked. While I would be hard pressed to find a little creature that could match the power of a Ditto, I wasn't ruling out that possibility.

I flew down and ate the spider that had come out of its hiding place under the wood to defend itself. I crushed it in my mouth just enough so it would stop the majority of its squirming. Then I swallowed it and felt it try and resist going down.

I let out a sigh as the joyous feeling was replaced by guilt since my Other hadn't eaten. I'd make sure he'd eat a meal as soon as possible. Even if we were still on this mission.

I then got a good grasp on the wood and started to fly back to the others.

* * *

**Elder Sirrush's Point of View**

"Nice to know you have a sense of humor." Ellen said and I felt pride that my attempt hadn't gone unnoticed.

"I have a slight sense if it, yes." Was my simple reply.

I felt myself coming back towards me. Not myself, not exactly, but it sometimes felt like it. It was my Other.

For some reason I was getting a hint of both guilt and satisfaction from her. I didn't know why, but that didn't matter right now and I knew she would explain herself in due time.

My Other landed on Ellen's shoulder and made sure to compensate for Ellen being a human.

"Give it to me, sweetie." Ellen said softly and my Other let the human take the wood from her.

My Other then put her head down. Her eyes had a mischievous shine to them and I had to hold back a laugh. Ellen had not worked with my Other before and so didn't know some of her signals. I didn't need the psychic connection to know what my Other was thinking.

"She thinks she deserves a petting." I said and a slight smile crept onto my face. My Other kept me sane in situations such as Mother possibly being dead.

Ellen then stroked my Other's head for a little bit and said, "She is cute."

My Other shared her joy and the experience with me. I stood straight and pretended not to be affected by the link.

My Other flew onto my shoulder and Ellen kept hold of the wood while looking for a cave. I followed her while having my attention more focused on the appearance of the nomads. My Other helped me with this and so we were one mind in two bodies.

Finally Ellen found a small cave and we went in. It wasn't as big as the one the nomads attacked us in, but it was big enough.

I handed the matches to Ellen after she had set up the wood in a shallow hole that would serve as a fire pit. I was glad when the fire started and there was some warmth. I didn't need to dry out, as the cold hadn't affected me to any great degree, but I was happy for the heat anyways.

Ellen, on the other hand, needed the heat. Humans, strong as they can be, fail in so many ways. The need for warmth in these situations was almost embarrassing.

I could see her eyes on my Other and myself looking almost like she was jealous. I didn't blame her as humans had weaknesses that dragons didn't. And when you're in a situation and someone isn't suffering as much as you, there's jealousy. Only natural.

"I hope your Mother and everybody are fine. Heh, your mother." Ellen said and sat down by the small fire. "We cannot always find a common language. We are too similar. To be honest, I know only one other woman who is the same combination of stubborn and complicated as her."

I sat on the opposite side of the fire and faced the human. I knew her answer as it seemed like the logical reason why Mother would be attracted to her.

"You ask me who? It's simple, honey: it's me." Ellen answered. "Nah, don't look at me so surprised. Your mother is tough, but she learned to be tough. So did I. What do you mean how? Oh, sweetie. You didn't know my brothers."

I had heard stories of Derek Reese and some of Kyle Reese. But Mother's hatred for Derek seemed to go beyond reason. Of course the Derek Mother hated was not Ellen's Derek, it was a different Derek from a different timeline.

"You have no idea how hard it is to be a little baby sister who wants to 'play' in war and become a soldier. Are you surprised? You should be grateful that your brother understands you all the time, no matter what." Ellen continued and I realized she was talking to my Other. I felt a wave of pride for me come through the psychic link. "I had to fight for every word. It took me many years to show them that I'm a real soldier and deserved their respect."

My Other tensed on my shoulder and I knew she would be going to Ellen soon.

"You ask me are they proud of me now?" Ellen asked and let out a sigh. "I wish to believe they are...wherever they are now."

I could imagine Ellen's pain of not knowing where her brothers were by thinking what would happen if I didn't know where my Other was. Of course I'd always be able to tell, our psychic link was not bound by distance, but if I couldn't get to her I'd feel lost. I didn't know what would happen if she died.

My Other nodded her understanding and then went to rest on Ellen's shoulders. She rubbed against the human and then stopped after a few seconds. No matter what my Other did, she could not truly comfort Ellen on this matter.

"I don't know how Jash would feel about you comparing yourself to her." I finally said. While Mother was comparable to Ellen, and that was probably the reason why Mother was attracted to the human, Mother wouldn't like to let that secret out. "Seems like a lot of the time she pretends to be stronger than she is and doesn't like people being at the same level."

"And who likes to be compared to someone? Everyone wants to be unique, but the truth is people are all the same. Every where. Only some people are going their own way. Most just follow." Ellen said and then started laughing. I was confused. "Oh, sorry. I just became aware of something. Jash is your Mother and Martin is in some kind of father for you two, right? I'm his cousin. So you can call me Auntie!"

I didn't know about calling this human Auntie. I didn't feel that connected to anyone like family except for Mother and the other members of the Dragon Division. Even though Martin had provided me with some of his DNA, I didn't know about calling him father. I only did so because it was polite.

"I'd never have suspected it." Ellen said and then turned to look to the cave entrance.

I heard the sounds that were, for now, in the distance but could get closer at any given moment. We waited a few moments before calming down.

"I think we won't eat anything warm tonight since we have to extinguish the fire. They could see the light and know where we are." She said and then the nomads could be heard approaching. Their yelling and shouting was unmistakable.

"It's too late! They found us!" Ellen yells and we raced out of the cave to have more options. My Other took to the sky to provide me with an aerial view of the upcoming battle. "Take cover! They are coming!"

I looked for a boulder to hide behind and the human did the same.

"C'mon bastards!" I could hear her hiss under her breath and then added. "We have to get the hell out of here."


End file.
